


You and Me and Nobody Else

by 27summer



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-04
Updated: 2014-10-04
Packaged: 2018-02-19 20:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2402063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/27summer/pseuds/27summer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Quinn and Rachel have been dating in secret. When Quinn agrees to go with Sam to a dance, it threatens to destroy their relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You and Me and Nobody Else

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers through Season One and the existence of Sam.

The look on Rachel’s face told Quinn she wasn’t going to be able to charm her way out of this but she had to try. “Rach, please. It’s not that big a deal.”

“Oh, so it’s not a big deal that my girlfriend’s going out with someone else?” Rachel put her hands on her hips, glaring furiously at Quinn.

“I’m not going out with Sam. We’re just going to the Winter Formal together. As friends. I promise that’s all it is. I told Sam that it’s not a date. It means nothing,” Quinn said calmly. She hoped that keeping an even tone would prevent Rachel from losing her mind.

“It means nothing? Then why are you doing it?” Rachel asked.

Quinn sighed. “You know how it is at school. If I show up without a date, I’ll get all kinds of questions.”

“Yes, and God forbid the head Cheerio have to answer some questions,” Rachel said sarcastically.

“Don’t do that. I know it’s stupid but my image is important to me. Please tell me you understand that.” Quinn walked over to Rachel, stopping a few feet in front of her.

“I know you care about your image. But I can’t understand why you think that I should be all right with you seeing someone else.” Rachel shook her head. “I’m not. I’m not going to ever be okay with it.”

“What can I do to make this better?” Quinn took Rachel’s hand and squeezed.

“You know what you can do.” Rachel looked at her expectantly. “You can not go out with Sam Evans.”

“I can’t do that. I already said yes. I can’t jerk him around like that. It wouldn’t be fair.”

“But it’s fair to jerk me around,” Rachel muttered, yanking her hand from Quinn’s.

“Oh, Rachel. You said you were okay with how things are.” Quinn grabbed Rachel’s shoulder, stopping her from turning around. “Please talk to me and tell me how to fix it.”

“I don’t see the point in talking about this. Nothing’s going to change.”

“Rachel, please.” Quinn rubbed Rachel’s shoulders, trying to get her to relax.

“Quinn, I was fine with keeping our relationship quiet. But I never expected to have to watch my girlfriend go on a date with someone else.” Rachel looked up at Quinn with such hurt in her eyes that Quinn wanted to hold her and never let her go.

“I’m not dating Sam!” Quinn let Rachel go, feeling exasperated. “I’m with you. I love you. I don’t want anyone else.”

“I know you love me. I don’t doubt that at all.” Rachel smiled gently, wrapping her arms around Quinn.

“Good, because there’s no reason to. I love you so much.” Quinn held onto Rachel, breathing her in deeply.

“I love you, too. But that doesn’t change anything. I still don’t want you to go to the Winter Formal with Sam.” Rachel pulled back, looking Quinn directly in the eyes. “You’ve got a decision to make.”

“What does that mean?” Quinn asked, dread filling her body. She watched in silence as Rachel took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

“It means that my girlfriend is not going to the dance with Sam,” Rachel said firmly.

“What does that mean?” Quinn repeated, panic coming over her.

“You can date Sam publicly or you can date me privately. But you can’t do both.” Rachel shrugged, taking a step backwards. “I won’t be your dirty little secret, Quinn.”

“You’re not. You’re perfect. I never want you to feel like I’m am ashamed of you.” Quinn winced, horrified that she ever caused Rachel to feel like this.

“How am I supposed to feel? Everyday at school, I get to watch guys drool over you, flirt with you. But it doesn’t matter because you’re with me. I’m the one who holds your hands and kisses you and loves you.” Rachel stared at Quinn like she was daring her to contradict her.

Quinn buried her face in her hands before looking back at Rachel. “You never said anything about this before. I don’t know that it bothered you.”

“It didn’t. At least, not a lot.” Rachel shrugged once more. “But this does.”

“But why? What changed?” Quinn held her breath, sensing this was a turning point in their relationship.

“What changed is you going out with someone else.” Rachel held up a hand, stopping Quinn from interrupting. “It’s one thing for people to think you’re single. It’s another for people to think you’re dating Sam. I can’t do it, Quinn. I just can’t.”

“So what? You’re issuing an ultimatum and I’m supposed to fall in line? That’s not fair, Rachel.” Quinn groaned, trying not to lose her temper. It would do no good for her to lose control and get angry with Rachel.

“Well, what’s fair, Quinn? Is it fair for me to have to hide?”

“You said you didn’t mind!” Quinn exclaimed.

“I didn’t mind hiding. But this? This I do mind. I’m not secure enough to watch you with Sam,” Rachel said quietly.

“I don’t know what to do. You mean so much to me, Rachel.” Quinn’s eyes filled with tears as she struggled not to cry.

“But not enough apparently.” Rachel used her thumb to wipe away Quinn’s tears.

“I don’t want to lose you but I can’t lose everything else.” Quinn turned away from Rachel, trying to collect herself and stop her tears. “I’ve just gotten my relationship with my mom on track. I’m popular again. I now it’s stupid but-”

“It’s not. I understand why all that’s important to you. But Quinn- I’m not asking you to come out. I just don’t want you to go with Sam.” Rachel walked in front of Quinn, forcing her to look at her.

“Please don’t do this. I love you, I want to be with you.” Quinn threw her arms around Rachel, squeezing her tight. “I can’t do what you want me to do. If I back out, people will talk. They’ll want to know why. I can’t listen to people talk again.”

“Okay. Okay.” Rachel held onto Quinn tightly before letting her go. She reached up and kissed her softly. “You should go now.”

“Rachel, no. Please. I love you, I love you so much.” Quinn paled, taking in the determined look on Rachel’s face. She wasn’t going to be able to change her mind.

“I’m sorry, Quinn. I can’t. I- I just don’t see how this could possibly work out. I would get jealous, you would get irritated and we’d end up hating each other. It’s easier this way,” Rachel said, even as tears filled her eyes.

Quinn sniffed. “Easy? You think this is easy?”

Rachel shook her head. “That was the wrong word. I meant that I don’t want to hate you, Quinn. I love you too much to ever want that.”

“I would never hate you,” Quinn choked out, her tears beginning to overwhelm her. This couldn’t happen, it couldn’t be over.

“That’s nice to say but we both know that’s what would end up happing.” Rachel backed up. “Please don’t make this any harder than it has to be.”

“I- I- You’re right. I don’t want to hurt you more than I already have. I’ll go.” Quinn turned to leave, biting her lip against all the emotion that wanted to spill out.

“Bye, Quinn.”

Quinn risked one more look at Rachel, her heart breaking at the tears streaming down Rachel’s face. “Good bye, Rachel.” Quinn shut the door behind her and rushed to her car before finally falling apart.

\-----------------

This day had been ridiculously long, Rachel thought as she finally crawled into bed. Her dads had actually been home for dinner and she’d had to pretend to be okay. She’d managed to make it through without them knowing anything was wrong but she was exhausted. She didn’t want to talk about Quinn. She just wanted to wallow. It hurt. It had been the right thing to do but it still hurt. The look on Quinn’s face when she told her to go- Rachel thought she’d collapsed at the sight. It wasn’t easy for her not to take care of Quinn. But she didn’t have a choice. She couldn’t take care of her and protect herself as well. And she couldn’t continue with her relationship with Quinn if she was going out with someone else. She had too much self-respect for that. She knew she wasn’t the most popular girl in school. Or the prettiest. Or the easiest to get along with. But she didn’t think she was so undesirable that she had to watch the girl she loved flirt with Sam Evans. She was worth more than that.

Even as she thought it, Rachel knew she wasn’t being fair to Quinn. This wasn’t happening because Quinn was ashamed of her. She was scared and Rachel really couldn’t blame her for it. Quinn’s relationship with her mother was still uncertain and Quinn worried about doing anything that might upset her. But just because Rachel understood, it didn’t make it right. It didn’t mean Rachel could allow Quinn to hurt her. And that’s what would end up happening. Quinn wouldn’t mean to but she would. So things were better this way. It would be easier in the long run. Even it hurt for a while.

\-----------

The next day, Quinn walked into the lunchroom and scanned for Rachel. It was torture but the sweetest kind. She had to see her. They shared two morning classes but Rachel sat up front and hadn’t looked her way. But just looking at Rachel gave Quinn a jolt of happiness she just couldn’t deny herself. As pathetic as it sounded, that was all she had left. She had to destroy the best thing she had in her life all because of her image. It wasn’t that her image was more important than Rachel because it wasn’t. It was just- Last year, she’d lost everything. She’d gotten some of it back but nothing was the same. Her relationship with her mom was still strained, the other Cheerios were just waiting for her to fail. She couldn’t risk losing the little she had left of her old life. She couldn’t be left with nothing again.

Quinn’s heart stopped when she spotted Rachel across the room. She hadn’t prepared for this, for seeing Rachel laughing at someone else. They usually spent lunch together, hiding out in the auditorium. She didn’t know what to do with herself. She had to fight the urge to drag Rachel off and beg for forgiveness. This was a mess. She was an idiot to think she could survive losing Rachel without losing her mind.

“Hey, Fabray. What are you doing?” Santana elbowed Quinn. “Have you been ditching us for so long that you’ve forgotten how to eat?”

“Shut up,” Quinn grumbled as she followed Santana and Brittany to the Cheerios table.

“Seriously, where have you been? I thought you were going all Unabomber on us.” Santana looked at Quinn expectantly.

“I’ve been studying. I’ve been working on getting my grades where they need to be after last year.” Quinn frowned, glad that she managed to spit out a reasonable excuse. The last thing she needed was Santana getting suspicious and snooping around.

“Oh, I’m sure your grades are fine, Geek.” Santana rolled her eyes and nodded across the room. “I hear Sam’s taking you to the Winter Formal.”

“As friends,” Quinn said impatiently. She didn’t want to have this discussion. She didn’t want to think about the reason her relationship with Rachel was over.

“Sure,” Santana scoffed. “Does he know that? He’s always staring at you like you’ve shown him your boobs or something.”

“It’s really creepy,” Brittany added. “But he’s better than Finn.”

“Of course he’s better than Finn. It’s hard to do much worse,” Santana said.

Quinn let them talk, slipping back into thoughts of Rachel. This was so much harder than she had imagined. She and Rachel had become so close that she relied on her in all sorts of ways. Not just the big ways with dealing with her mom or missing Beth. They talked about school work and music and stupid, silly things. She didn’t want to give any of it up but there was no other choice. Quinn couldn’t figure out a way to reconcile Rachel with the rest of her life. So maybe Rachel was right. Maybe it was better to cut things off now before it hurt even more. Although, she couldn’t imagine anything hurting worse.

\-----------------

This was the moment Quinn had been dreading. As bad as it had been in class seeing Rachel, Glee was about a thousand times worse. Watching Rachel in her natural element was usually the highlight of her day but it just wasn’t today. Especially since Rachel didn’t look that happy as she made her way to the front of the choir room.

“I’ve been going through a hard time lately and this song expresses how I feel.”

“What, are you out of knee socks?” Santana snarked.

“Don’t.” Quinn slapped her on the back, her heart sinking as the song started playing. The words Rachel was singing- They ripped her heart out. She had focused so much on her own pain that she’d forgotten about Rachel’s. And to be honest, she’d be better off not knowing. It hurt Quinn when Rachel hurt and there was absolutely nothing she do about it.

“All by myself. Don’t wanna be all by myself anymore.”

Rachel never looked her way but Quinn knew the song was dedicated to her. And she couldn’t take it. The second Rachel finished, Quinn jumped up and left, ignoring everyone calling after her. She knew she’d have to make up an excuse for why she’d left but she didn’t care. She couldn’t stop screwing up. Even when she tried to do the right thing, it didn’t end up okay. She kept hurting herself, hurting Rachel. She just couldn’t stop. She reached her car and drove off, wishing she could find some way to fix things.

\------------

Rachel shoved her chemistry book away. She just couldn’t concentrate. She kept flashing back to Quinn, watching her sing. She hadn’t meant for her song to hurt Quinn. She honestly hadn’t thought of Quinn’s reaction when she wanted to sing. She was so used to performing to get her feelings out that she hadn’t thought about how Quinn would take it. She really didn’t want to hurt her. She still loved Quinn so much, she just hurt and couldn’t keep it all inside anymore.

Laying back on her bad, Rachel thought back to her summer with Quinn. It was pretty funny how it all began. After her relationship with Finn had crashed and burned, Rachel bumped into Quinn one day while she was running the track around the football stadium. And they started working out together. Which led to them watching movies together and hanging out. And then they fell for each other. It happened before Rachel even really realized what was going on. It was so easy to love Quinn. They fit together so completely. It felt like they had been made for each other, as silly as that sounded.

Shaking her head, Rachel wiped at the tears that had fallen. She didn’t need to be thinking like that. Remembering the good times with Quinn wouldn’t help anything. It made her feel worse. Even knowing she did the right thin, it was hard to be away from Quinn. Her whole day at school was spent avoiding her. And getting depressed when she succeeded. This whole thing was a disaster. She wished she could change it but she was stuck. There wasn’t a way out if she didn’t compromise. But she couldn’t on this.

\--------------

A week later, Quinn leaned against the sink in the bathroom. It had been a long week. Coach Sylvester had started the Cheerios on their training for Sectionals. For whatever reason, she had gotten Figgins to agree to excuse the Cheerios from their classes. It had been 12 hour days of non-stop workouts. Quinn was exhausted but also grateful. She’d collapsed into bed every night without time to miss Rachel. Sure, she still dreamed of dark hair eyes, of sweet kisses and soft touches. But it was enough of a relief that she could make it through.

The door opened and in walked the very girl Quinn had be trying not to think about. Rachel looked just as surprised to see her. “Oh, hi, Quinn. I- I haven’t seen you lately.”

“Yeah, Coach Sylvester has us training hard for Sectionals. It’s a little crazy,” Quinn said, a lightness entering her body as Rachel came close to her.

“A little crazy?” Rachel asked.

“Okay, it’s nuts. She’s totally nuts.” Quinn laughed.

“Yes.” Rachel shuffled her feet, like she was searching for something to say. “It’s strange not seeing you.”

“It is,” Quinn agreed. “But it’s easier not to miss you when I don’t see you every day.”

Rachel nodded. “Right. Um, I wanted to you, to apologize to you.”

“Apologize? You have nothing to apologize for. This is all my fault.”

“No, it’s not.” Rachel shook her head. “But that’s not it. I’m sorry for my song in Glee that day. I didn’t meant to hurt you.”

“Oh.” Quinn blew out a breath. “Well, it’s okay. It’s not like I don’t deserve it.”

“No, you don’t. I don’t want to make you feel bad, Quinn. I just- I wanted to make myself feel better.”

“Did it work?” Quinn asked, feeling even worse with the obvious guilt Rachel felt.

“No.” Rachel smiled at Quinn.

They stared at each other awkwardly for a few moments. Quinn wanted to say something but she had no idea how to make things better. It seemed like all she was good at lately was making things difficult. She wanted desperately to find a way to make them both happy but she couldn’t. Quinn would settle for making Rachel alone happy but she knew she wasn’t brave enough for that. Finally, Quinn pushed away from the sink. “I’d better get going. I don’t want Coach to think I’m skipping. Waterboarding doesn’t look too pleasant.”

“Waterboarding? Does she- You know what, I don’t think I want to know.” Rachel went to hug her but stopped when Quinn backed up. “It was good talking to you.”

“Yeah. Bye, Rachel.”

“Bye, Quinn.” Quinn made it out the door, grateful that Rachel didn’t try to stop her. She had reached her limit. She couldn’t spend more time with Rachel without breaking down.

\-------------------

Rachel burned with jealousy as she glanced across the cafeteria at Quinn with her Cheerio friends. It wasn’t fair, she thought. She was supposed to be the one who ate lunch with Quinn and made her laugh. Shaking her head, she forced her eyes away. She was the one who said they had to break up. She didn’t exactly get to be upset that Quinn wasn’t wallowing in misery. Of course, that wasn’t fair, either. She knew Quinn wasn’t happy. The few times they had interacted proved that. And she didn’t want Quinn to be miserable anyway. She just wanted to be with her.

Rachel played absently with her lunch, needing to distract herself. She had to stop torment herself over Quinn. She had done the right thing. She just had to keep reminding herself of that until it sunk in. he couldn’t allow herself to be drawn in by Quinn’s beautiful face. Giving into Quinn with this wouldn’t have worked. It would only have swept away their problems temporarily. As much as she hurt, as badly as she missed Quinn, it was better this way. She just had to get past the pain.

“Uh, what?” Rachel looked up at Tina, was looking expectantly at her.

“Are you going to the Winter Formal?” Tina asked.

“No. Definitely not,” Rachel said, a frown on her face. “Nobody but Finn asked me and that’s not going to work.”

“Well, that doesn’t matter. You can go by yourself.”

“Or you can break down and go with Finn. I don’t understand why you told him no when he did ask you,” Kurt said.

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Finn and I aren’t right for each other. I’m not going to raise his hopes when I have no desire to be with him. We’ve been over for months.”

“You could go as friends,” Tina pointed out. “Sam and Quinn are going as friends.”

“Friends, right,” Rachel scoffed before she could stop herself.

“I know he’s crazy over her but Quinn doesn’t seem into him. I actually think she just doesn’t want to go alone,” Kurt said.

“Come on, Kurt, Quinn’s a Cheerio. They never last too long without a boyfriend,” Tina said, rolling her eyes. “She’s changed but not that much. It’s about time she has a new boyfriend.”

“Can we not talk about this? Who really cares who Quinn dates? It’s not any of our business,” Rachel snapped, unable to keep the bitterness from her tone.

“Okay.” Tina exchanged a confused look with Kurt. “But back to my original point: You should come to the dance. You’ll have fun.”

“She’s right. I don’t have a date, either. We can stick together,” Kurt added.

“I’ll think about it.” Rachel smiled at them but didn’t really mean it. She didn’t need to hear all about Quinn and Sam. She need to forget. And going to the Winter Formal wasn’t likely to help with that.

\----------------

Glaring at herself in the mirror, Rachel sighed unhappily. She had no idea how she let herself get caught up in Tina and Kurt’s words. Somehow, they convinced her to go to the dance. But now that she was actually ready to go, it just seemed like a bad idea. Even if, by some miracle, she avoided Quinn, she wouldn’t be able to stop thinking of her. When she’d first heard about the dance, she’d kind of thought she and Quinn would got together. Rachel shook her head. That was a stupid thought. She’d know they couldn’t go as each other’s dates but she’d figured they would go alone together. She’d even picked out a dress, thinking Quinn would love it. But of course, Quinn’s reputation was more import than anything else.

Rachel spun away from the mirror. She resented Quinn, even thought she didn’t want to. She’d never wanted to force Quinn out of the closet but there was a small part of her that wanted to mean more to Quinn than anything else. It was petty and unfair but she didn’t care. That’s how she felt. Grabbing her purse, she made her way downstairs. She might as well go. The sooner she arrived, the sooner she could leave. The end of the night was the thing she hoped for most. She just had to make it until then.

\-------------------

The room was too small, Quinn thought. She looked around the poorly decorate gym and could hardly breathe. Though maybe that was because Sam wouldn’t leave her alone. Every time she tried to get away, he followed like a damn puppy dog. This was a bad idea. She’d thought she’d made it clear that they were just friends but Sam was acting like this was a date. He’d charmed her mother when he picked her up. God, he was so totally Fabray-approved that it was like he came out of a box. He went to her church, he brought flowers for her and her mom. The glint in her mom’s eyes was ridiculous. She knew she was going to have pressure to continue to date Sam. She hadn’t thought this through. She’d really believed that she could go through this charade and it wouldn’t change anything else. She was so naïve. This wouldn’t turn out how she wanted. She trashed her entire relationship with Rachel and her life was still so complicated.

“Hey, do you want to dance?” Sam smiled at her and she tried to smile back.

“Sure.” Quinn followed him to the dance floor, glad it was a fast song. At least she could distract herself from her mess of a life for a little while.

“I’m really glad you came with me,” Sam said as he pulled her close when the song changed to something slower.

“Right.” Quinn nodded before her eyes caught on Rachel. She hadn’t thought about seeing Rachel but there she was, wearing at tight black dress. She couldn’t tear her gaze away. How was it possible for someone so short to have legs so long?

“What are you looking at?” Sam asked.

“Oh, I- I just saw Rachel,” Quinn said haltingly.

“Oh?” Sam looked over. “Wow, she looks great!”

“Uh, yeah, she does.” Quinn bit back the “Mine!” that wanted to escape. Rachel wasn’t hers anymore.

“I guess Finn finally wore her down. He’s been talking about wanting to be with her again but she’s been putting him off.”

“I don’t think she’s really that into him, though,” Quinn said, attempting to keep her voice even.

“Yeah, but how would you know? You two aren’t really friends.”

“Uh-huh.” Quinn fumed jealously as she watched Finn put his giant bear paws all over Rachel. Of course Rachel was dancing with someone else. Why would she ever think Rachel would be alone? She was fantastic and someone else was bound to figure that out. But it hurt. It hurt in ways she couldn’t even describe. And she couldn’t believe she’d ever expected Rachel to go through this. No wonder Rachel gave her that ultimatum. Quinn knew that she was clearly an awful person and Rachel was better off without her. She could find someone who deserved her.

\----------------

The hallway was empty when Quinn started her walk back to the Gym she’d finally managed to get Sam to leave her alone for a half a second and she felt a little better. She still had the image of Rachel dancing with every male member of New Directions imprinted in her mind but she no longer felt like murdering everyone who had so much as looked at Rachel. She’d just needed a moment to collect herself and remind herself that this situation was her fault. But she finally felt like she could handle things.

Steeling herself, Quinn enter the gym eyes automatically searching for Rachel and not her date. When she spotted her, her heart jumped into her throat. Rachel was with Puck, his hands on her waist, pulling her against him. His mouth was on Rachel’s and Quinn couldn’t breathe. Her chest constricted and she suddenly knew what it felt like to have a heart attack. “I’m going to be sick.”

“Quinn, are you okay?” Sam put a hand on her shoulder.

“No. I feel awful. I’ve got to get home. Can you take me?” Quinn bit her lip, trying to keep from bursting into tears.

“Yeah, of course.” Sam put his arm around Quinn and lead her outside. Quinn could barely manage to make it to the car, her heart breaking in two. She never imagined she’d be so easy to get over.

\--------------------

After saying good night to her fathers, Rachel climbed the stairs to her room, anxious to get out of her dress. The night hadn’t gone as badly as she had feared but she was still glad it was over. She hadn’t had to see Quinn with Sam that much. In fact, expect for when she first came in and spotted them, she avoid them completely. That was odd but she couldn’t complain. She’d actually had fun, dancing with the Glee boys. Except for Finn, who kept asking her to consider dating him again. It had been months and he just didn’t seem to understand that thy were over. She didn’t want to hurt him but she had to make it clear that she wasn’t changing her mind. And of course Noah, who flirted shamelessly every time they’d danced. He’d kissed her, too. Rachel didn’t worry too much about hurting his feelings. She just didn’t want to be kissing him. She knew he thought of it as a game but she didn’t want to play. She was just too raw, she just wanted Quinn.

Climbing into bed, Rachel allowed her thoughts to drift back to Quinn. She’d looked so beautiful, wearing a light blue dress with her blond hair piled up on top her head. Rachel loved Quinn’s neck, she loved when Quinn’s neck was bare, when she could touch it and scratch it and kiss it. Quinn was breathtaking and Rachel had wanted to go to her. To hold her close and dance with her.

Rachel sighed. She’d hoped that that the Winter Formal being over would be the next step in moving on but no. She was still as crazy as ever about Quinn. And she didn’t want to move on. She knew they couldn’t go back to the way things were but she didn’t think she was ready to give up on Quinn. At least not yet.

\-------------

Quinn stopped her car in front of Rachel house, dread filling her body. She didn’t want to do this but after last night, she knew it was the right thing. It was time to let Rachel go. She didn’t ever want to do anything that would hurt her. It was too late to avoid that but maybe she could make things a little easier. She picked up the box sitting in her passenger seat and made her way to the front door. The sooner she did this, the sooner she could go back to her house and cry for a while. After knocking on the door, she waited impatiently, praying that Rachel herself would answer and not one of her dads.

“W-what? Uh, hi, Quinn.” Rachel appeared flustered as she looked at Quinn.

“Hi. I’m sorry for dropping by like this.” Quinn shifted the box in her arms, hoping Rachel couldn’t tell how nervous she was.

“No, I’m just surprised. It’s always good to see you, thought.” Rachel smiled and Quinn’s heart skipped a beat as always. “Do you want to come in?”

“No, I came to give you this.” Quinn handed Rachel the box. “I got all the stuff you left in my room or car. Clothes and pictures and whatever.”

“What? Oh.” Rachel’s face fell and Quinn rushed to reassure her.

“I- I didn’t meant to upset you. This was supposed to make it better.”

“Better? How is you purging me from your life supposed to be better?” Rachel asked.

“No! That’s not it. I- I saw you at the dance last night. With Puck. You’re- you’re moving on. I’m just trying to help.” Tears sprang to Quinn’s eyes. She didn’t want Rachel to be over her and kissing someone else.

“With Noah? Oh, Quinn, no. What happened last night-”

Quinn held up her hands and backed up. “Please, don’t. I know this is all my fault but I can’t hear about you and somebody else.”

“Quinn, I-”

“Please, Rachel,” Quinn begged as tears continued to fill her eyes. “I don’t need you to tell me how easy I am to get over. I just can’t take that.”

“Nothing about this has been easy.” Rachel dropped the box and came onto the porch.

“This- this was supposed to put an end to our relationship and make it stop hurting. I don’t want to hurt.” Quinn turned around and started to walk off, attempting to stop the flow of tears. She didn’t want Rachel to feel sorry for her. In fact, Rachel’s pity for her might just make her completely fall apart.

\----------------

Quinn was numb when she got back to her house. She didn’t feel the cold air or the tears on her face. She felt nothing. It was over. She and Rachel were done. She knew that sometime soon she would completely lose it but she’d stopped her impending breakdown for the moment. She’d wrecked the best thing she’d ever had for something that didn’t seem to matter anymore. Her reputation, which once seemed to be the most important thing, was useless.

Getting out of her car, Quinn went into her house and rolled her eyes at the sight of her mother. The woman was already downing a drink. She really hoped she could get to her room without a conversation. “Quinnie?”

Of course. Quinn stopped at the stairs and looked back at her mother. “What?”

“What happened? Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Quinn muttered, amazed at her mother’s nerve. When she was pregnant, her mother never asked her anything. Now, when all she wanted was to be left alone, she wanted to talk. “Forget it.”

“Talk to me. You’re upset. I want to help.” Judy put down her drink and gestured for Quinn to sit down next to her.

“Please.” Quinn snorted. It wasn’t as though she could actually tell her mom anything. She’d be horrified if Quinn told her why she was heartbroken.

“Quinn, I’m your mother. I love you. Let me help,” Judy pleaded.

Quinn stared at her obviously tipsy mother and realized she’d acted like an idiot. She’d spent so much time and energy tying to preserve a relationship with someone who barely knew her. Someone who didn’t even really try to know her. It hit her what she’d done. She’d been so focused on her mother, who had never been there for her, that she’d lost Rachel, who was there even when she didn’t deserve it. Yeah, it would suck to be kicked out again but she’d lived through last year. And the slushies and whispers wouldn’t have been fun but she would have had Rachel by her side. She could deal with anything if she had Rachel.

“You really want to know?” Quinn asked, sure she wasn’t going to be afraid anymore.

“I do, Quinn. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.” Judy looked at Quinn hopefully.

Quinn sat down next to Judy and took a deep breath. It hardly mattered anymore. She’d already lost Rachel but she was so tried of being afraid. “My girlfriend and I broke up and she’s already kissing someone else.”

“What?!”

“I’m gay, Mom, and heartbroken because Rachel’s over me,” Quinn said, knowing her mother need to hear things two or three times before they sunk in.

“Rachel? Your Glee friend? She’s so sweet,” Judy said, staring at Quinn in confusion.

“She is,” Quinn replied with a slight smile on her face. “And I love her.”

“But you had a baby.”

Quinn rolled her eyes. “I did. Because I was trying to be straight. To be that perfect All-American Girl that you and Dad wanted me to me. But I’m not. I’ve got all these feelings that aren’t going away. This is who I am.”

“No.” Judy shook her head. “You’re not like that.”

“I am,” Quinn insisted, her eyes flashing with anger. “I love Rachel and destroyed my relationship with her because I was so worried about what you and everyone else would think about it.”

“If you’re broken up, you can go back to normal. You can stop being gay.” Judy took Quinn’s hands but Quinn yanked them away.

“No. You don’t get to pretend that this didn’t happen. It did. I’m in front of you, telling you that I’m gay. And I’m asking you to be my mother and not sweep everything under the rug like we do everything in this family. Please, Mom.” Quinn’s anger faded as she pleaded with her mother. She knew how this was probably going to go but she couldn’t help but hope her mom would surprise her.

Judy shook her head. “I can’t listen to this. You- This isn’t right.”

“Mom, please,” Quinn called after her mother when Judy walked out of the room. Quinn went to her room, flopping face first onto her bed. That went about as badly as she expected it to. Whatever fragile relationship she and her mom had was ruined. But it didn’t hurt as badly as she thought it would. Probably because she still had the picture of Rachel and Puck imprinted in her mind. Her life was already horrible. It was hard to imagine it could get much worse.

“Quinn, I need some time.” Judy stood anxiously at the doorway.

“What does that mean?” Quinn asked, sitting up.

“I can’t deal with this. I need you to give me some space for a while.”

“Right. Of course.” Quinn rolled her eyes. “Can I have time to pack my stuff or do I need to get out now?”

“Take as much time as you need. I love you, Quinnie, I just don’t know how to handle this,” Judy said sadly.

“Fine, I understand.. Can you just leave me alone?” Quinn snapped as she grabbed her duffle bag and started to fill it.

“Okay.” Quinn waited for her mother to leave before allowing the tears to fall. She had expected this but it still hurt and she didn’t even have Rachel to comfort her. Because she’d ruined it all.

\--------------

Rachel climbed the steps of the football stadium, huffing and puffing when she finally reached the top. “Hi, Quinn.”

“Hi. What- what are you doing here?” Quinn stared at Rachel in surprise.

“I wanted to talk to you. I went to your house and-”

“You went to my house? My mom didn’t do anything to you, did she?” Quinn scanned Rachel frantically for injuries.

“No. I’m fine,” Rachel replied, charmed by Quinn’s concern for her. “But she told me what happened.”

“Oh. Yeah, I’m kicked out again.” Quinn shrugged, turning her gaze back to the empty football field.

“I’m sorry, Quinn.” Rachel placed a hand on her shoulder. “But I don’t understand. I thought this whole thing was because you didn’t want your mom to know.”

“I’m just tired of it all. I told her after I went to see you because I was over it. I screwed up with you because I was concerned about everyone else. And I’m just done,” Quinn said.

“Oh, Sweetie, I’m sorry. I didn’t want this to happen.” Rachel resisted the urge to pull Quinn into her arms. She looked so small but Rachel knew Quinn needed space when she was upset.

“Whatever. I knew she would be upset. And I’m not even thinking about her. I’m more upset about you and Puck.” Quinn clenched her jaw.

“Quinn, there’s nothing going on between Noah and I.”

Quinn scoffed. “I saw you kissing last night. I’m not an idiot.”

Rachel’s jaw dropped. She hadn’t even thought about Quinn seeing them, she’d been so focused on berating Puck for kissing her. “You’re not an idiot. But he kissed me. I didn’t want it. I- We just broke up. Do you really think I’d be with someone else so soon?”

“I didn’t want to but everyone always leaves me. I’m apparently super easy to get over.” Quinn dug her fists into her eyes as the tears fell.

“No, you’re not. I’m not over you,” Rachel gave into her instincts, pulling Quinn into her arms. She tucked Quinn’s head into her neck, rubbing her back and whispering nonsense. She didn’t know what to do. She was usually so in control. She always had a plan for everything but Quinn had a way of changing everything. She loved her so much but had no clue how to help.

Finally, Quinn pulled back, looking at Rachel with red eyes. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to cry all over you.”

“Don’t apologize. I care about you, Quinn. And I just want you to be okay.”

“I’m not okay.” Quinn bit her lip, clearly trying not to start crying again.

“I know.” Rachel cradled Quinn’s face in her hands. “I want you to come home with me.”

“No.” Quinn shook her head, detaching herself from Rachel. “You don’t have to take care of me. I don’t need your pity.”

“It’s not pity.”

“Or guilt. I do have some pride.”

“Oh, I know that.,” Rachel said, grabbing a hold of Quinn’s hand. “But you don’t have to be strong for me right now. Okay? I’m here. I want to help you.”

“Why? We’re broken up. I screwed everything up. I’m all alone. This is what I deserve.”

“Stop it, Quinn.” Rachel sighed, letting go of Quinn. She knew Quinn would lash out if she pushed too hard but she couldn’t just leave her here.

“You should go, Rachel. I’m not worth it.” Quinn stared down at her lap.

“I’m not going to listen to this, Quinn. I love you and I want to take care of you. Please just let me. Come home with me and we’ll talk everything out.” Rachel rubbed her hands up and down Quinn’s arms. “You’re freezing. Where’s your jacket?”

“When I was packing my bags, I must’ve forgotten it.” Quinn shook her head. “It doesn’t really matter. I’m fine.”

“It does. Now, get up.” Rachel tugged Quinn up and led her out of the stadium. “Give me your keys. I walked here but I can drive you to my house.”

“Are you crazy?” Quinn asked incredulously, although she still handed over the keys.

“I don’t drive that badly.” Rachel ushered Quinn into the car and headed for her house.

“Rachel? How did you know where to find me?”

Rachel smiled at her. “Once I went to your house and you weren’t there, it was easy. That’s where you always go when you need to think.”

“That’s- that’s where we met last summer. When we became friends and then more,” Quinn said, lips quirking into a slight smile.

“I remember. I remember everything about that summer. It was the best one of my life.” Rachel reached out, lacing her fingers with Quinn’s. This had been an awful time and she felt badly for Quinn’s pain but she was glad she could help and be close to her. It felt like she could breathe for the first time in a while. She just liked having Quinn with her.

\--------------------

It had been only a few week since Quinn had been in Rachel’s room but it felt like much longer. Quinn sat stiffly on Rachel’s bed, looking up as Rachel stood in front of her, clearly trying to be patient with her. “I’m really fine, Rachel. I’m warm now.”

“Okay.” Rachel bit her lip, staring at Quinn anxiously. “What can I do?”

“Can you sit down with me?”

“Sure. Of course.” Rachel sat down next to her, obviously waiting for Quinn to speak.

“I didn’t really think things through. I never think things through. I don’t know what to do.” Quinn shrugged. She was at a total loss.

“Tell me what you’re feeling.” Rachel looked at her.

“I’m mostly numb. I don’t know how to make sense of all this. I’m hurt my mom rejected me but I expected it. I’m glad I’m here with you but I don’t understand why.” Quinn turned to Rachel with tear-filled eyes. “Why am I here? Why do you care so much?”

I can’t explain why. I just do. I’m in love with you and that didn’t stop just because we broke up.” Rachel’s eyes filled with tears as well.

“I hurt you,” Quinn said in a quiet voice.

“You did,” Rachel agreed, cradling Quinn’s face in her hands.

“I’m sorry.” Quinn leaned in Rachel’s hands.

“I know you are.”

“I was miserable the whole time. Sam wouldn’t leave my side and all I wanted was you,” Quinn turned her face, kissing one of Rachel’s hands.

“That doesn’t make me feel better. I never wanted you to be unhappy,” Rachel said.

“I know. You’re so good to me. You’re way too good for me.”

“No, don’t say that to me. I’m not perfect and you’re not a bad person.” Rachel pressed her cheek to Quinn’s. “I love you. I’m not angry anymore. I just want to be here for you.”

“As friends?” Quinn pulled back to look at Rachel, trying to tamp down on her hopes.

“I- I don’t know,” Rachel said hesitantly. “I’ve been missing you these past few weeks. I don’t want to be away from you. But I don’t think we can go back to how things were.”

“Yeah. You’re right.” Quinn attempted to keep her face from falling but she could tell Rachel saw through her.

“That doesn’t mean-”

Quinn placed a hand over Rachel’s mouth. “You don’t have to explain. I get it.”

“No, you don’t. I don’t understand what I mean, how do you know?”

“Rachel, I don’t know what I’m doing, okay?” Quinn stood up and walked away. The anxiety she’d been feeling lately was bubbling over. “I just want to be with you and I know I screwed it up. I finally told my mom and I still don’t get to be with you. Nothing’s how I want it to be!”

“Do you really think this is what I want? I never wanted any of this!” Rachel stalked across the room, getting into Quinn’s face. “You’re not the only one hurting!”

“I know!” Quinn glanced at Rachel’s lips, then her eyes and back to her lips. She grabbed Rachel’s waist and yanked, pulling her close and kissing her insistently.

“Wait. What are we doing?” Rachel asked, placing her hands on Quinn’s back, keeping her in place.

“I don’t know. I just- I need you. I love you. Please let me love you.” Quinn trailed kisses along Rachel’s neck, not caring if she seemed pathetic. “I know I’m selfish and it won’t solve anything but- Please, Rachel. Please.”

“I- Show me you love me, Quinn.” Rachel tugged Quinn to the bed, falling backwards and pulling Quinn on top of her.

“I will. I do. I love you so much.” Quinn covered Rachel’s mouth with her own and no more words were needed.

\-----------------------

Lying on her belly, Rachel couldn’t stop staring at Quinn. She had a smile on her face that she couldn’t seem to wipe off. However, she noticed Quinn’s frown and reached out, tracing Quinn’s mouth. “What’s wrong?”

“This wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I wanted it to be special, not after we broke up in the middle of a fight.” Quinn turned over, not looking at Rachel.

“No. Don’t.” Rachel pushed on Quinn’s shoulder until she was lying on her back. She settled her body on top of Quinn and looked at her seriously. “I’ll admit this isn’t the fairy tale romance I always thought I’d have but I always thought my first time would be with someone who loves me. And you do, so that makes it perfect.”

“Rachel-” Quinn broke off, her eyes wet.

“No tears. This was a good thing. No matter what else happens, I’m so glad it was you.” Rachel pressed her lips to Quinn’s. “I love you, Quinn Fabray.”

“I love you to, Rachel. So much.” Quinn slid her hands into Rachel’s hair, pulling her down for a kiss.

“I don’t want you worrying. You didn’t make me do anything.” Rachel placed kisses all over Quinn’s face. “You’re all I want.”

“But I’m no good for you. I hurt you. I-”

“Stop.” Rachel covered Quinn’s mouth with her own. “You did hurt me. But I hurt you. I didn’t think about how you’d feel watching me dance with all the Glee boys.”

Quinn scoffed. “Come on, Rachel. I don’t blame you for that. I expected you to watch me with Sam. Of course you wanted to get back at me.”

“That’s not what I was doing.” Rachel kissed Quinn’s smirk away before continuing. “I mean it. I was trying to distract myself from my own pain and keep myself from staring at you. It wasn’t vindictive.”

“God, I screw up constantly, don’t I?” Quinn sighed.

“I don’t want to harp on the past. I want us to move on.”

“What does that mean? Do you think we could…” Quinn trailed off, averting her gaze from Rachel’s.

Holding Quinn’s face in her hands, Rachel forced Quinn to look at her. This was important. Words between them go so tangled sometimes. She wanted to be sure she got it right. “I don’t know what’s going to happen between us. I want us to get back together. But things won’t be the same. We can’t go back to how it was.”

“No, of course not. I’d never do that again. I was so selfish, I should never have expected you to be okay with me and Sam,” Quinn swore.

“I know that. I’m confident you’ll never do something like that again. But that wasn’t our only problem,” Rachel said, speaking slowly. “You- you didn’t tell what you were thinking and I didn’t ask. You’d been acting distressed but I didn’t bring it up. I let it go like that would make it go away and I shouldn’t have.”

“That’s not really a big deal.” Quinn pushed away the hair that had fallen into Rachel’s eyes, looking at her intently.

“Yes, it is. Because it leads to bigger problems.” Rachel looked Quinn straight in the eyes. “We’ve got to talk to each other.”

“Okay, we’ll talk. And I won’t hide you. I already told my mom so I-”

‘I never wanted you to come out,” Rachel said. “Not if you weren’t ready. I just didn’t want to be your dirty little secret.”

“Never. You never were and I’m so sorry that I ever made you feel like that.” Quinn pulled Rachel down to her and kissed her desperately.

“Oh. Mmm. You’re good at that.” Rachel forced herself still while trying to talk to Quinn. They had to talk, she couldn’t let herself fall into Quinn before they settled things. “Quinn, I don’t want you to agree with me because you feel guilty or you want to make me happy. I really want us to talk and think about this. About what we want from each other and if we can be happy together.”

Quinn exhaled loudly, staying silent before meeting Rachel’s eyes. “I didn’t plan any of this. Sam asked me to the dance and I said no at first. Until he asked why and I had to find an excuse that didn’t have to do with you. And I panicked. I went with what was easiest like I always do.”

“I- I can understand that. I don’t like it but I understand.” Rachel couldn’t identify the look in Quinn’s eyes. It scared her but she wouldn’t leave until they were finished.

“Everything just spun out of control, Rach. I said yes and we broke up and I was miserable. Then you were kissing Puck and I gave you your stuff back. And my mom asked me what was wrong and I told her.” Quinn shook her head in disbelief. “I didn’t think and I should have. It would have been easier to deal with.”

Rachel smiled fondly at her. “It’s probably a good idea to think things through but I kind of like that you follow your instincts.”

“Well, after thinking this out, what I want is you. The rest of my life isn’t as important as you. I want to be with you.” Quinn looked at her hopefully.

“I want that, too.” Rachel grinned at the silly smile that came over Quinn’s face.

“If- If you want to be out, I guess that’ll be okay,” Quinn said nervously.

Rachel shook her head. “That’s not important. I don’t want to focus on that. You’re the one who has the most to lose. I’m fine with it if you really want to be out but it’s your decision, Quinn.”

“Are you sure? Because I don’t want to hide you anymore. I don’t want my reputation to matter more than you do. Because it doesn’t. I was so unhappy when I sacrificed you to protect it.” Quinn buried her face into Rachel’s neck.

“I’m positive you don’t have to prove something to me. And I don’t need you to. I just need you to love me.” Rachel lifted her head. She couldn’t stop staring at Quinn. She missed her so much.

“I do, I do love you.” Quinn chewed on her lip. “I think if I’m honest, I don’t want to make some sort of big statement. I’m not ready to sing a duet in Glee with you. I think we should be together and if someone asks, we tell them. Otherwise, we don’t say anything. How does that sound to you?”

“I like it. It’s really no one’s business what we do in our personal lives.” Rachel kissed her once more. “There’s just one more thing. We’re going to have to tell my fathers.”

“I- Okay. You don’t think they’ll hate me, do you?” Quinn asked worriedly.

“Not when they see how happy you make me,” Rachel palmed Quinn’s cheeks, hoping to reassure Quinn. “I just think we’ve got to tell them since you’re going to be staying here.”

“Oh. Right. I- I hadn’t realized- I’m staying here?” Quinn stumbled over her words.

“Oh. We haven’t talked about it but I assumed-” Rachel sat up, pulling Quinn with her. “We’ll do whatever you want but you’re welcome her. I want you to be safe.”

“Maybe we should tell your dads and see what they think. I don’t want to make them uncomfortable.” Quinn placed her hands on Rachel’s waist and squeezed.

“They might be a little apprehensive of this.” Rachel gestured between her own naked body and Quinn’s. “But they won’t want you out on the street. And I definitely don’t want that.”

“I’d be okay. I could probably stay with Brittany or Santana for a few days,” Quinn said.

“Well, I’d prefer it if you stayed here but I want you to feel like you’re in control. I don’t want it to be like I forced you into anything.”

“Hey, no. I know you’re only looking out for me.” Quinn pulled Rachel to her chest, rubbing circles on her back. “I want to be here but we’ll talk to your dads and decide.”

“That’s probably a good idea. You’re so smart.” Rachel breathed deeply, needing a moment to process everything. This wasn’t how she thought this day would go. Quinn showing up and giving her things back, going to Quinn’s and seeing her mom. Finding Quinn at the football stadium. Coming back here and making love to her. It was hard to believe this was happening.

“I am smart. I’m with you, aren’t I?” Quinn grinned, tickling Rachel’s sides.

“Hey!” Rachel squirmed away, falling backwards on the bed. “Not funny.”

“It was a little funny.” Quinn squeezed Rachel’s sides once more before lying next to her.

“Maybe.” Rachel felt around for Quinn’s hand, bringing it up to her lips. “How are you doing, really? If this has been a long day for me, it’s been double that for you.”

“It has been long. I’m happy with you.” Quinn glanced away, not really wanting to think about what happened with her mother.

“Talk to me. I know you’ve got feelings about your mom.” Rachel paused, kissing Quinn’s hand once more. “I told you I went to your house before I found you. Your mom was upset but not- she seemed worried about you. Maybe she’ll change her mind.”

Quinn pursed her lips. “She seemed upset?”

“She did,” Rachel said. “and I’m not saying she’ll be fine with us but maybe she just needs a few days to remember how awful it is to live without you.”

“You’re sweet.” Quinn shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t know. She said she needed space. Maybe she’ll change her mind but I don’t want to get my hopes up.”

“That’s a good idea.” Rachel leaned in and kisser her. “What do you need from me? What can I do?”

“Can we- Can we just drop this for a while? I know there’s a lot we still need to discuss but I just want to be with you right now. Without the rest of the world intruding.” Quinn kissed her, pressing her body into Rachel’s.

“That- that sounds pretty prefect to me,” Rachel answered, turning her head as Quinn begin trailing kisses along her neck and collarbone. “We’ve got the house to ourselves until dinnertime.”

“Mmm.” Quinn lifted her head to grin wickedly. “I think we can make good use of the time.”

“Oh, yes.” Rachel moaned as Quinn kisses moved lower. “You’re good at that.”

“Only for you.”

\----------------

Quinn tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. She’d had a ridiculous amount of stress the past few weeks and it was finally hitting her. Probably because she was all alone in a strange bedroom. Rachel’s dads were nice enough to let her stay. They tripped all over themselves to make her feel at ease and give her a room of her own. She really appreciated but it was overwhelming.

Plus, she missed Rachel. She’d agreed to stay in the guest room but all she really wanted was to be wrapped in Rachel’s arms. It still felt like a dream. Twenty four hours earlier, she’d been crying her eyes out over Rachel and Puck and now she was back together with Rachel. They had made love. It was everything she’d ever wanted and she didn’t want to let it go. She just felt so much better. Even though her mom wasn’t happy, Quinn was relieved. Her life had blown up and she still had Rachel. That made it all worth it. Yeah, she was kicked out but she didn’t have to hide. She didn’t want to hide. Being with Rachel was worth all the trouble that came with it. These past few weeks have proven that she was miserable without Rachel. She might not understand everything that’s going on but she knew she didn’t want to survive without Rachel.

“Hey. You can’t sleep, either?” Rachel asked, standing in the door way.

“No. it’s been a long day. I’ve got a lot to think about.” Quinn sat up, gesturing for Rachel to come in.

“I was worried about you. I wanted to make sure you were okay,” Rachel said, settling on the bed next to Quinn.

“I’m all right. I just- I keep going over everything that happened.” Quinn slung an arm around Rachel’s shoulder and pulled her closer. “Mostly, I just missed you. I wanted to cuddle with you some more.”

“Me, too. I tried to stay in my room but I couldn’t.” Rachel smiled.

“I wanted to go to you but I don’t want to betray your fathers’ trust. They were nice enough to let me stay. I don’t want them to think I’m taking advantage of you.” Quinn smiled back at her, her body betraying her words as she rubbed Rachel’s arms. She couldn’t stop touching her.

“Quinn, I don’t want you to walk on eggshells here. Neither do my fathers. You have a home here, no matter what. You don’t have to be afraid.” Rachel turned slightly so that she faced Quinn.

“I know that you mean that but I don’t- I can’t-” Quinn stopped, cringing slightly at her inability to express her emotions.

“You can’t believe it because everyone you’ve ever trusted has let you down,” Rachel said gently, cupping Quinn’s face in her hands.

“I know you’re different but I’m still scared.” Quinn burst into tears, throwing herself into Rachel’s arms.

“Shh. I’m here, Quinn. We might break up one day but I’m not going to abandon you. Ever,” Rachel whispered into Quinn’s ear, holding her as tightly as she could.

“You can’t promise that. You can’t know what’s going to happen.” Quinn wanted to believe her but she just couldn’t.

“I want to be with you forever but I’m not naïve. Maybe it won’t happen but I’ll always be your friend. Whenever you need somebody, I’ll be there.”

Quinn gazed at Rachel, her emotions jumbled. Her heart told her that Rachel meant what she said but she couldn’t quite let go and believe her completely. If she ever lost Rachel for good, it would destroy her totally. There was a part of her that wanted to run away before she fell even deeper.

“Quinn? Are you- are you okay?” Rachel frowned as Quinn was silent even longer.

“I am.” Quinn forced a smile, wanting to reassure Rachel. “I’m terrified, Rachel, that I’m going to lose your forever. But I’m more scared of never even trying to be with you. I’m in this. I’m going to trust that you won’t let me down.”

“I won’t.” Rachel leaned into kiss her softly.

“I might freak out every once in a wile but I’m not going to let you go.” Quinn reclined on the bed, curling her body around Rachel’s.

“I don’t want to let you go, either.” Rachel tugged the blankets over them, leaning back into Quinn’s body.

“I could sleep like this every night but aren’t your dads going to have a problem with this?” Quinn asked, keeping her arms around Rachel.

“They might be a little irritated but they’ll understand you had a tough night. Especially since we’re not in my sound-proofed room.” Rachel tilted her head back and grinned at Quinn.

“Oh, Go. What if they find out I defiled their daughter? They’ll kick me out for sure.”

“Don’t worry. We’re going to be fine.” Rachel smiled again and Quinn couldn’t keep from smiling back. She was actually starting to believe that they would be all right.


End file.
